water based vs oil based moisturizers?

Leslie_C

Leslie_C

Well-Known Member
list the pros and cons of each here!

It never occured to me till someone mentioned in a post that there was a difference. What exactly is the difference? water based has water as the 1st ingredient?

My thought is in a humid climate, water based products may not work as well(at least on relaxed hair)?? I have a few products I dont like, and sure enough, the first ingredient is water. what do you think?

Last, what are your favorite oil based moisturizers? would these be light oils like hot six, EVOO, coconut oil, etc? do cremes like elasta recovery count?
 
I think water based drys some people's hair out compared to oil based. I use carol's daugthter hair milk which is oil based. I also have elasta qp's mango butter which is water based and it's ok.
 
Oil in water (o/w) – water is the first ingredient while the oil is dispersed within. These products are therefore less greasy and may be less moisturizing hence why some people says it dries out their hair.

Water in oil (w/o) – oil is the first ingredient while the water is dispersed within. These products tend to be more greasy because of the oil but are more moisturizing as well. Cold cream is a good example. I can't think of any specific cream moisturizers as I would have to look at the ingredient list. It's also sometimes hard to tell what it is because some manufacturers list them alphabetically. I now assume that the more watery a product is, the more water it contains (less oil). The more thicker/greasy the product, the more oil and less water.
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Water-based tend to make my hair dry after the water has evaporated.

Oil-based are too oily for my hair.

So, I prefer the water-based with a little doctoring up.
 
maybe if I use a few drops of an oil based one, that could work for me.

What about general oils, like olive oil, castor oil, coconut oil, or hot six oil? do these make good moisturizers? they tend to sit on my hair if I put them on dry, but if I put them on wet, and add just a tiny bit after dry, that works a little better....

but Id like something I can use daily or every other day that isnt too greasy or heavy that my hair will absorb and not just put a film on it.
 
We have to be careful when using the term "moisturizing" when referring to oils and oil based products. The truth is there is no moisture in oil. Oil stops moisture LOSS and adds shine and pliability to the hair. But it does not ADD mositure. It doesn't have any of it's own to give.

But oils (and serums) can be used to maintain the hair instead of water based moisturizers if 1. you use a very mositurizing shampoo and conditioner (mostly the conditioner) and 2. use a leave in. That way the conditioner and leave in imparts the moisture, and the oil (if you find water based products don't work as well on your hair) holds the moisture in.
 
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Tracy said:
We have to be careful when using the term "moisturizing" when referring to oils and oil based products. The truth is there is no moisture in oil. Oil stops moisture LOSS and adds shine and pliability to the hair. But it does not ADD mositure. It doesn't have any of it's own to give.

But oils (and serums) can be used to maintain the hair instead of water based mositurizers if 1. you use a very mositurizing shampoo and conditioner (mostly the conditioner) and a leave in. That way the conditioner and leave in imparts the mositure and the oil (if you find water based products don't work as well on your hair) to hold the moisture in.

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[ QUOTE ]
Tracy said:
We have to be careful when using the term "moisturizing" when referring to oils and oil based products. The truth is there is no moisture in oil. Oil stops moisture LOSS and adds shine and pliability to the hair. But it does not ADD mositure. It doesn't have any of it's own to give.

But oils (and serums) can be used to maintain the hair instead of water based mositurizers if 1. you use a very mositurizing shampoo and conditioner (mostly the conditioner) and a leave in. That way the conditioner and leave in imparts the mositure and the oil (if you find water based products don't work as well on your hair) to hold the moisture in.

[/ QUOTE ]

DITTO
 
I've found my hair dislikes water-based moisturizers for the same reason other people mentioned - it dries and then my hair feels/is dry. I don't like that. I wish I had realized that sooner. I could have saved myself a lot of money.

On the other hand, my hair loves oil-based products like Hair Milk and true butters. I suppose as Tracy said, these hold the moisture in my hair a lot better than water-based moisturizers.
 
Since the weather is starting to get cooler here, I've noticed that my water based moisturizer doesn't work the same as in the warmer weather. I've been adding a little oil to my water based moisturizers, and it seems to be doing the trick. It looks like I'll have to add oil to my water based moisturizers until the warmer weather returns.
 
I use oil to discourage tangling and flakes, lock in water, and add shine and color vitality to my hair. Other than that, there are no other realistic uses for oil on hair.

Oil cannot moisturize - water and oil are too completely different substances. Do not believe the claims of these companies; oil moisturizers (an oxymoron) will aid hair texture, but inside the follicle is dry as a bone.

It follows that real moisture will evaporate. That's why it's important to be consistent with moisturizing. To me, oil-based moisturizers are shortcuts. If we're willing to spend time applying short-term satisfaction like OBMs, perhaps we would be willing to go a little farther and apply WBMs more often, for the sake of the hair shaft's health and long-term vitality.
 
I prefer water and butter based moisturizers. Since butters at room temp is solid they seem to hold the moisture in better for me. Oil and water moisturizers tend to leave my hair feeling hard and greasy! I use Jane Carters hair nourishing cream and Jessicurl too shea as my daily moisturizers. Both are water and butter based!
 
I prefer oil based moisturizers but have yet to find one. All the moisturizers I have been using are water based and my hair does not like it at all. I am going to Ulta and Trade Secret this weekend and will look for moisturizers that are oil based. Hopefully, I will find something that works great for my hair soon.
 
i'm not sure what my hair prefers.

as i've said before a moisturizer is the only thing i have not found in my regimen. most of the water based moisturizers havent done much for me...and i always assumed that butter based would be too heavy for my hair...

but i bought a few butter based things to try out

(seyani hair butter, qhemet's burdock root butter and some regular old hemp seed butter)

i'll try it by spritzing my hair with a water based moisture mixture, but putting the butter-based on top of it and see if that works at all for me
 
If I use anything oil based I will have to wash my hair immediately. No matter how light my hair becomes a greasy, flaky mess. I'm @ the end of my rope.
 
My hair only likes water-based moisturizers. The oil-based ones do not moisturize my hair and I tried quite a few before I GOT it. I was only looking at the overall ingredients and seeing that all had great ingredients, but I was not looking to see if the first ingredient was water.
 
adw425 said:
My hair only likes water-based moisturizers. The oil-based ones do not moisturize my hair and I tried quite a few before I GOT it. I was only looking at the overall ingredients and seeing that all had great ingredients, but I was not looking to see if the first ingredient was water.
Click to expand...


i hear really good things about the moisturizing butters that i purchased...but i still find myself kind of nervous that they wont be as moisturizing as i need them to be. haha. i'm considering whipping them with some water...but i'm also afraid i'll ruin the integrity of the products...ummm

maybe i'll take a bit of it and whip it with water just to try it out before i go for the entire thing...haha
 
Bumpting.
Do you know what your hair prefers? Are you relaxed/natural? Have naturally dry/oily hair/skin/nails?
 
I’m currently transitioning and I use both of the following simultaneously;
- Qhemet Biologics’s Burdock Root Butter Cream (Creamy water based)
- Qhemet Biologics’s Olive & Honey Hydrating Balm (Oil based I think)
The moisturizing combination work’s wonderfully on my hair; it feel’s soo soft and hydrated all day. If I were to choose one, it would be the Olive & Honey Hydrating Balm because solely using a water based moisturizer on my hair would not hydrate and moisturise it all day.
 
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